Tremendous interest continues in developing new printing and image forming platforms with wide media latitude and high image quality. Extensibility in the form of future growth opportunities in all manner of digital marking devices from office markets to production markets are targeted. Digital offset and aqueous transfix are both currently pursued as printing methods in associated platforms that may demonstrate adaptability to wider media latitude. In pursuing the further development and growth in certain markets, it is recognized that certain inherent limitations arise. Variable data digital offset lithographic image forming is generally considered to lack feasibility in the office market. Aqueous transfix digital image forming requires formulation of robust, aqueous inks, and newly formulated transfix pre-coats for office to production printing.
Digital printing is generally understood to refer to systems and methods in which images may be varied among consecutively printed images or pages. “Variable data lithography printing,” or “ink-based digital printing,” or “digital offset printing” are terms generally referring to printing of variable image data for producing images on a plurality of image receiving media substrates, the images being changeable with each subsequent rendering of an image on an image receiving media substrate in an image forming process. “Variable data lithographic printing” includes offset printing of ink images generally using specially-formulated lithographic inks, the images being based on digital image data that may vary from image to image, such as, for example, between cycles of an imaging member having a reimageable surface. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/095,714 (“714 Application”), entitled “Variable Data Lithography System,” filed on Apr. 27, 2011 by Timothy Stowe et al., which is commonly assigned, and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes an exemplary variable data lithography system for ink-based digital printing.
“Ink-based digital printing” or “digital offset printing” systems and methods may otherwise include an ink jetting process in which a piezoelectric ink jet print head may be used to apply ink to an intermediate transfer material layer. The jetted ink may be disposed on a pre-coat layer, which can be in the form of a partially dried mixture of polymeric binder, liquids and release agent, such as oil, that is capable of supporting the printed intermediate image for subsequent transfer to an image receiving media substrate. The pre-coat layer may require different levels of drying prior to suitability to apply the jetted ink. The intermediate image is transferred by contact between a surface of an intermediate transfer component and the image receiving media substrate, typically with the assistance of a pressure roller or drum to create a transfer nip. After printing, a conventional pre-coat layer is at the surface of the image and may not provide adequate robustness depending on the application.